Vacuum insulation panels (VIP) are the most effective thermal insulation and are primarily used where not much space is available and extremely high thermal insulation properties are required. Panels are already widely used in industry (insulation of the front doors and side walls of refrigerators and freezers for domestic appliances), for logistic purposes (transport containers, storage tanks, campers, refrigeration and other vehicles), for the insulation of laboratory and professional devices and insulation of various construction elements, such as elements for doors, furniture.Since the entry of atmospheric air gases into VIP panels represents the most harmful influence on their excellent thermal insulation properties, our research was focused on the analysis of accelerated ageing and determination of service life caused by this influence. The primary objective of the research was to define the theoretical base supporting measurements of accelerated testing and the connection between ageing and the service life of VIP panels. Arrhenius law of accelerated testing was used as a theoretical support to experimental testing of VIP panels at high temperatures and different exposure times. These results are useful in order to control quality, resistance to ageing and determining the life expectancy of VIP panel products, the characteristics of which can be determined in a significantly shorter time during accelerated testing than during real service life conditions.The accelerated ageing laboratory test measurements and simulation analysis confirm that VIP panels are a durable and high quality product.
The quality of the indoor environment is becoming increasingly important because people are spending the majority of their time indoors. This has led to an increased interest in the field of health and well-being of users of buildings and to the development of various assessment schemes dealing with this issue. In this study, LEED O+M Building Operations and Maintenance (hereinafter LEED O+M), BREEAM In-Use and DGNB Buildings In-Use were compared with a specialized BCS WELL that is focused on the health and well-being of building occupants. The aim of the comparison was to evaluate to what extent the selected building certification schemes (BCSs) cover the aspects of health and well-being in buildings. Based on the analysis, it was found that the observed BCSs mostly pay attention to indoor air quality, light and thermal comfort. In other areas, only certain topics are covered or the topics have a different focus. Another important finding of the study was that certain aspects that are important for the health and well-being of the occupants are not dependent only on the building design but also on the management of the building and the services provided within the building. This kind of information is especially valuable for building developers, managers and owners so they know how to improve health and well-being in a building. The present study provides them with a comprehensive overview of the certification schemes that are widely used in current practice.
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